Sock drier



Nov 8 1949 T. M. DUFF ET AL 2,487,046

' socx DRIER Filed Jan. '7, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY Nov. 8, 1949 T. M. Dur-'F ET AL 2,487,046

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I| 111i x3 Patented Nov. 8, 1,949

SOCKDRIER.'

Thomas M. Dui, Chevy Chase, Md., and Paul E. Whittington, Arlington, Va.

Application January 7, 1948, Serial No. 972

6Claims. (01.'34-103) (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

amended April 30, 1928; 370 0, G.`757) The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to us` of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to sock driers of the general type comprising a housing or lcontainer for the socks and means for maintaining a circulation of heated air about the interior of the container and the socks suspended therein.

A primary objectof the invention consists in providing a sock drier of relatively inexpensive construction by eliminating all moving parts except a fan for distributing the heated air and manually-operated pivotal supports for the forms on which the socks or other articles are to be placed. i

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a dryingchamber having one Wall formed of flexible material provided with elongated slits adapted to permit the entrance and exit of the forms on which the socks are mounted, without material loss of heat from the chamber.

Another object of the invention consists in the formation of an improved sock-supporting form which may be readily and simply adjusted to accommodate socks of various sizes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a frontelevational view of the sock drier with parts broken away;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view through the apparatus;

Figure 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through one of the hosiery forms;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary plan view showing one of the ventilator closures;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view through a slightly modified form of sock drier;

Figure 6 is an enlarged elevational view, partly in section, of one ofthe hosiery forms; and

Figure 7 is amore or less diagrammatic plan view of a further modified form oi the invention.

In the illustrated l:torm of theV invention, shown in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive, the drier is mounted on a stand I comprising `a plurality of legs 2 having a forwardly extending shelf 3. on its front to serve as a Work surface for the material, such as socks, to be operated upon.

Spaced below the top-of the base l and within the area deiined by the. legs 2 is4 a shelf 4 on which is mounted afan or other typeof blower 5, surrounded by a flue 5.', for circulating the heat generated in aheater B whichis suspended below the top of the base I by hangers 1.. Any preferred heating medium may be employed in the heater 6 and a valve 6 serves to control the flow of the heating medium throughthe heater.

Mounted upon the top of the base l isthe drying chamber comprising a bottom 8, back wallS, side walls Ill, top Il and an open front provided with a closure i2. The bottom 8 of the drying chamber is provided with a longitudinal opening I3 for the passage of heated air driven across the heater 6 by the blower l, and the upper wall II of the drying chamber is provided with a plurality of lVentilating outlets I4 provided with pivoted closures I5, by the adjustment of which the amount of moisture-laden air leaving the chamber may be regulated. A thermometer I6' having thermal communication with the interior of the heating chamber may be mounted in the upper wall I I to provide the necessary guidance in regulating the extent of opening of the Ventilating closures I5.

Pivotally mounted within the drying chamber on the bottom wall 8 thereof, as indicated by the numeral I1, are a plurality of hosiery forms I8. One of these forms is shown in detail in Figure 3 and comprises a vertically extending plate I9 the front and rear edgesof which provide supports vfor sheet metal forms ZIJ- 20, These forms are preferably corrugated or reversely curved so, as to provide spaced contacts lfor the article of hosiery inverted thereover to thereby facilitate drying of the article, and the forms are also preferably provided with a plurality of perforations ZI to aid in circulating the heated air and thereby expediting the drying of the articles. As will be noted by viewing Figure 2, the forms I8 are bent forwardly adjacent their upper ends as indicated'by the numeral 22 to more or less correspond to the shape of an article of hosiery, and the form is also provided with a bulge on its rear edge at the bend to provide a support for the heel portion Aof the article, as indicated by the numeral 23. This bulge 23 may take the form of an outwardly curved metal-strip or the like having its ends secured to the rear form 20 on opposite sides of the bend in the form.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-4 inclusive there are fifteen of the' pivoted hosiery forms and each of them is pro-v vided with a handle 24 by which the 'forms may be manually moved vindividually about its pivot into and out of the drying chamber I0. Itis of the utmost importance in driers toreduce heat losses to a Aminimum and to this end the closure I2 is formed of sheet rubber or otherflexible ma terial extending entirely across and completely closing the open front of the drying chamber l0. This sheet material closure is provided with a plurality of vertical slits 25 corresponding in number to the number of hosiery forms I8 and the handles 24 of the hosiery forms extend through these slits at the bottom thereof as indicated in Figures 1 and 2.

In the operation of this form of the invention, the valve 6 is iirst opened to the extent desired; the blower is set in operation and the ventilators I5 may be adjusted from time to time as desired. The hosiery forms I8 are individually swung outwardly by means of the handles 24 and the socks or other wearing apparel placed over them, and they are then swung back through the slits 25 into the interior of the heating chamber. This operation is repeated with each of the forms I8 until the drier is fully charged, and at the proper time those first receiving the socks are again individually swung outwardly so that the dried socks may be removed and replaced by other socks to be dried. These operations are, of course, repeated throughout the time the the drier is in operation and due to the fact that the slits 25 will automatically close immediately after the particular drying form passes therethrough it will be apparent that loss of heat from the drying chamber is practically eliminated or at least reduced to a minimum.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6 the construction of the dryer is quite similar to that shown in Figures l-4 inclusive. In this second form of the invention, however, the drying chamber is provided with a baille 29 to aid in circulating the drying air over the articles placed upon the hosiery forms, and the hosiery form itself is made adjustable to accommodate it to various sizes of socks. Otherwise, the two structures are substantially the same including the operating handle 24, the flexible closure I2 provided with vertically extending slits 25 for enveloping the forms as they are moved into and out of the heating chamber, the heater 6, and blower 5.

This hosiery form comprises a metal plate 30 provided with a bend 3| located at approximately the point where the heel of the sock to be dried will be located. On the front edge of the plate 30 is a sheet metal form 32 extending along substantially the entire length of the metal strip 30 and also along the foot portion of the rear edge of the strip. This form 32 is also corrugated or provided with reverse curves as in the previously described form of the invention and is also preferably provided with perforations 33 to permit passage of the heating medium through the socks and to generally facilitate the drying of these articles.

Adjustably mounted on the lower portion of the metal strip 30 to represent the back of the leg portion and the heel portion of the sock is a form 34 also corrugated and perforated in the manner of the front form 32 and provided with a web 34. The connection between the web 34 and plate 30 comprises two pairs of links 35 provided with slots 3B to receive bolts and wing nuts 31. The links of each pair extend on opposite sides of the plate or web 3D and are pivoted to the plate 30 and to the web 34 extending inwardly from the form 34. It will be obvious that by loosening the wing nuts 31 the rear form 34 may be moved toward or from the plate 30 and also upwardly and downwardly so as to not only vary the cross sectional area of the leg portion of the form but also to vary the length of the foot portion thereof.

The operation of this form of the invention is substantially the same as that heretofore described and need not be dwelt upon further than to say that the hosiery forms, prior to setting the heater in operation, are adjusted to adapt them to the size of the particular socks being operated upon at the time.

In Figure 7 there is illustrated a plan View of a sock drier 40 of the general form shown in either Figures 1-4 inclusive or Figures 5 and 6; the only difference being that the heating chamber and related parts are arranged in semi-circle or arcuate form so as to permit the operator to manipulate the various hosiery forms from a central point thereby eliminating the movements otherwise necessary in operating the device and permitting the use of more of the forms in a single drier under the control of one operator.

No claim is made in this application to the adjustable forms per se, as that particular subject matter is claimed in my copending divisional application Serial No. 115,523, led September 13, 1949.

In compliance with the patent statutes we have described herein what we now consider to be the preferred forms of the invention, but it is intended, of course, that various minor changes therein be included within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A hosiery drier comprising vertical side and back walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber, a sheet of flexible material extending across the open front of the chamber opposite the back wall, and' hosiery forms mounted for movement into and out of the chamber, said sheet of exible material being provided with slits having abutting edges to permit movement of the form to and from the chamber.

2. A hosiery drier comprising vertical side and back walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber, a sheet of iiexible material extending across the open front of the chamber opposite the back wall, anda plurality of hosiery forms pivotally mounted in the chamber, said sheet of flexible material being provided with slits having abutting edges to permit swinging movement of the forms to and from the chamber.

3. A hosiery drier comprising vertical side and back walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber, a sheet of iiexible material extending across the open front of the chamber opposite the back wall, and a plurality of hosiery forms mounted for movement into and out of the chamber, said sheet of exible material being provided with parallel slits having abutting edges corresponding in number with the number of hosiery forms and individually in alignment therewith.

4. A hosiery drier comprising Vertical side and back walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber, a sheet of flexible material extending. across the open front of the chamber opposite the back wall, and hosiery forms mounted for individual movement into and out of the chamber,

said rubber sheet provided with a plurality of slits having abutting edges each slit being in align` ment with one of the hosiery forms.

5. A hosiery drier comprising vertical side and back walls and top and bottom walls forming a chamber, a sheet of flexible material extending across the open front Aol? the chamber opposite the back wall, said bottom wallhaving an opening therein,V a lower heating chamber communicating with the upper chamber through said opening, and hosiery forms mounted for individual movement into and out of the upper chamber, said sheet of exible material being provided with slits having abutting edges for the passage of the hosiery forms therethrough.

6. A hosiery drier comprising an arcuate chamber formed of vertical side Walls, an arcuate back wall and top and bottom walls, a sheet of flexible material arcuately arranged and closing the open i0 front of the chamber, and hosiery forms mounted for movement into and out of the chamber, said sheet being provided with a plurality of slits having abutting edges to permit movement of the forms to and from the chamber.

THOMAS M. DUFF.

PAUL E. WHITTINGTON.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

